Cindi2014

I have just had my first fill in 1.5 years. My surgery was performed in May 2014. I lost over 108 lbs and I was so proud of myself. Here's the bad part, I became over confident in myself, thought I could start eating a few things here and there that I knew were bad for me but of course I thought I was invincible. I never went back to the doctor because I felt so embarrassed as the weight creeped back on. Well fast forward to today, I have gained back 55 lbs. of my 108 lb. loss and feel like a complete failure. I have picked myself up though and went back to the doctor today, had a fill and I'm restarting my weight loss journey all over again. Just want to tell everyone to not give into the temptation if you've lost a lot of weight because here I am 1.5 years later 55 lbs. heavier. I WILL lose this weight and get to my goal again. It's good to be back on bariatric pal. This was always such a great support system for me. Thanks for listening

I have just had my first fill in 1.5 years. My surgery was performed in May 2014. I lost over 108 lbs and I was so proud of myself. Here's the bad part, I became over confident in myself, thought I could start eating a few things here and there that I knew were bad for me but of course I thought I was invincible. I never went back to the doctor because I felt so embarrassed as the weight creeped back on. Well fast forward to today, I have gained back 55 lbs. of my 108 lb. loss and feel like a complete failure. I have picked myself up though and went back to the doctor today, had a fill and I'm restarting my weight loss journey all over again. Just want to tell everyone to not give into the temptation if you've lost a lot of weight because here I am 1.5 years later 55 lbs. heavier. I WILL lose this weight and get to my goal again. It's good to be back on bariatric pal. This was always such a great support system for me. Thanks for listening

I have just had my first fill in 1.5 years. My surgery was performed in May 2014. I lost over 108 lbs and I was so proud of myself. Here's the bad part, I became over confident in myself, thought I could start eating a few things here and there that I knew were bad for me but of course I thought I was invincible. I never went back to the doctor because I felt so embarrassed as the weight creeped back on. Well fast forward to today, I have gained back 55 lbs. of my 108 lb. loss and feel like a complete failure. I have picked myself up though and went back to the doctor today, had a fill and I'm restarting my weight loss journey all over again. Just want to tell everyone to not give into the temptation if you've lost a lot of weight because here I am 1.5 years later 55 lbs. heavier. I WILL lose this weight and get to my goal again. It's good to be back on bariatric pal. This was always such a great support system for me. Thanks for listening

I have just had my first fill in 1.5 years. My surgery was performed in May 2014. I lost over 108 lbs and I was so proud of myself. Here's the bad part, I became over confident in myself, thought I could start eating a few things here and there that I knew were bad for me but of course I thought I was invincible. I never went back to the doctor because I felt so embarrassed as the weight creeped back on. Well fast forward to today, I have gained back 55 lbs. of my 108 lb. loss and feel like a complete failure. I have picked myself up though and went back to the doctor today, had a fill and I'm restarting my weight loss journey all over again. Just want to tell everyone to not give into the temptation if you've lost a lot of weight because here I am 1.5 years later 55 lbs. heavier. I WILL lose this weight and get to my goal again. It's good to be back on bariatric pal. This was always such a great support system for me. Thanks for listening

I have just had my first fill in 1.5 years. My surgery was performed in May 2014. I lost over 108 lbs and I was so proud of myself. Here's the bad part, I became over confident in myself, thought I could start eating a few things here and there that I knew were bad for me but of course I thought I was invincible. I never went back to the doctor because I felt so embarrassed as the weight creeped back on. Well fast forward to today, I have gained back 55 lbs. of my 108 lb. loss and feel like a complete failure. I have picked myself up though and went back to the doctor today, had a fill and I'm restarting my weight loss journey all over again. Just want to tell everyone to not give into the temptation if you've lost a lot of weight because here I am 1.5 years later 55 lbs. heavier. I WILL lose this weight and get to my goal again. It's good to be back on bariatric pal. This was always such a great support system for me. Thanks for listening

Thanks so much. It really does help knowing people are here for me. Best of luck to you too.

I have just had my first fill in 1.5 years. My surgery was performed in May 2014. I lost over 108 lbs and I was so proud of myself. Here's the bad part, I became over confident in myself, thought I could start eating a few things here and there that I knew were bad for me but of course I thought I was invincible. I never went back to the doctor because I felt so embarrassed as the weight creeped back on. Well fast forward to today, I have gained back 55 lbs. of my 108 lb. loss and feel like a complete failure. I have picked myself up though and went back to the doctor today, had a fill and I'm restarting my weight loss journey all over again. Just want to tell everyone to not give into the temptation if you've lost a lot of weight because here I am 1.5 years later 55 lbs. heavier. I WILL lose this weight and get to my goal again. It's good to be back on bariatric pal. This was always such a great support system for me. Thanks for listening

I started out at 268. I am now 196. 72 lbs. lost. Surgery on 5/5/14. Love my band

I started out at 268. I am now 196. 72 lbs. lost. Surgery on 5/5/14. Love my band

I started out at 268. I am now 196. 72 lbs. lost. Surgery on 5/5/14. Love my band

I started out at 268. I am now 196. 72 lbs. lost. Surgery on 5/5/14. Love my band

I started out at 268. I am now 196. 72 lbs. lost. Surgery on 5/5/14. Love my band

I promise you all that it will get better. I had discomfort for a week, I couldn't sleep on my sides for 2 weeks. I recommend walking as much as possible, will help you feel better and also will help with the gas. Also, don't be afraid to take the pain medication. I took it for a solid week and had no problems. I also think it's a good idea to start taking a stool softener. I suffered terribly from Constipation and wish someone had told me to start with them early. Other than that, you'll do great. Most importantly, stay positive and look forward to reaching your goal. You can do it. Just keep saying that over and over.

I did the slimfast high Protein Shakes. They were actually pretty delicious. I still do a shake for Breakfast. During the liquid diet, I did 4 shakes and lived on chicken broth, sugar free Jello and ice pops. You'll get through it, just try to stay positive

I did the slimfast high Protein Shakes. They were actually pretty delicious. I still do a shake for Breakfast. During the liquid diet, I did 4 shakes and lived on chicken broth, sugar free Jello and ice pops. You'll get through it, just try to stay positive

Okay so went for my fill today and was not happy with the scales...no where near green and no where near a weight loss that I like...but am told it will get better and remember it is a loss...so funny I used to hear this same thing at WW!!! Just frustrated folks, sorry!!! UGHHHHHHHH!!! Only thing good about the weight loss is I'm under 100 lbs to lose...LOL!

I started out walking just 10 minutes a day. 2 months post-op, I am walking for an hour, 2+ miles. I feel so much better and I'm really seeing a difference. I no longer get winded which is a blessing. Hoping to join a gym soon too.

I started out walking just 10 minutes a day. 2 months post-op, I am walking for an hour, 2+ miles. I feel so much better and I'm really seeing a difference. I no longer get winded which is a blessing. Hoping to join a gym soon too.

Well...it has been 9 months and 93 pounds gone from my 5'4" frame. I have been holding steady at my current weight for about 2 months. I am NOT done losing my weight and I am NOT on a plateau and I am NOT at a stall....I AM PLAIN OLD HAPPY. I am not a prisoner to that darn scale. I am eating and enjoying life and happy and feeling very blessed by the success I have had. It has not been magical or any kind of miracle. It has been work and I am happy to say that I can finally look in the mirror and like what I see in the reflection. Yes,I am still a work in progress and would like to lose the last 48 to goal and I would like to have some stuff "fixed" after all is said and done.
But I AM HAPPY!
I see the weight loss most in pics now and I am amazed....amazed at how far I let my weight go and now that I have let that go, I am amazed at how I have transformed.
   
And this post isnt about boasting about my success or how much I've lost...I hope it helps one person out there who is just starting out like I was on this site exactly a year ago. Looking for support, looking for success stories, looking for people who were out for nothing but to give some encouraging words and support. I received all of those here and have even made some new friendships (some in person and some by text).
This does work and it is hard work at times but the results are sooo worth it, in my opinion.
So for all those starting out...wishing you alll the BEST....
and for those honest to goodness supporters (and you know who you are) I thank you from the bottom of my heart (and so do my ever-supportive hubby and my little girl and boy)

I haven't been on here for awhile...a million excuses about life getting in the way, but today I sat down with my surgeon for the first time in 6 months. (He'd been deployed to Kosovo and just returned) and we had a heart to heart about the last year.
And HE called me a success story.
And I love that I can agree with him. I've succeeded in doing SO MANY THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EVER DO.
In the past year I've lost a total of 75 pounds. I went from a size 24 to a size 12/14. I went from heaving breaths to running 5ks. My BP went from 160/110 to 104/67 (taken today!)
I was an insulin dependant type 2 diabetic with high cholesterol. Both of those things are non-existant now. My blood sugars are in the normal range with no pills or shots. My cholesterol is low...just like it should be.
I laugh more. I live more.
I'm not done...I've got a list of things I still want to accomplish...
-another 50 pounds to lose.
-Zumba instructor certification
-skydiving
-triathalon
...and the list goes on...but the best part is that I know I can do it. If you are struggling right now with your band...follow the rules. They work.
I just wanted to jump on here and thank all these lapbanders that encouraged me along the way and tell the newly banded that you can DO IT! Whatever that ellusive goal of yours is...you can reach it!

@@msgabrii first of all I'm sorry for all of the trials you've gone through during this last year and half! The good thing, is you recognize and take accountabilty for your problems and that is the first step in the right direction so good for you for getting back on track!!!!! You should be very proud of that!
The first thing I would do is start tracking your daily calories, Protein and Water intake. I always have 3-4oz of Protein at each meal, 1/2 cup veggies and then 1 starch if I have room, which often times I don't. Always, always eat your plate in this order, protein, veggies and then the starch. Don't drink anything with your meals or for one hour after and always stop eating at the 20 min. mark regardless of your hunger level.
I stick with around 1200 calories per day along with a target of 60-80g of protein and 80oz of Water.< /p>
One of the biggest things for me is to always have things on hand that don't require any preparation, so that if you find yourelf out of time or in a hurry there's no excuse to just eat whatever. I always have lots of deli meat and cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, Protein Bars, such as Quest etc. so that i can just grab and go.
For Breakfast typically I will have a 100 cal. Dannon light greek yogut with 3 tsp. of trail mix.
For lunch I will either have a salad or some left overs from the night before or I will bring 4oz of turkey meat some kraft slim cut slices of cheese, a couple of romain lettace leaves and some okios greek yogurt dip and roll it up and eat it.
For dinner, I will stick with chicken, fish, turkey or chicken burgers, chicken tacos, roast, etc. I have some recipies if you're interested I will be more than happy to send them your way.
Hang in there, you've been able to overcome alot so there is no doubt that if you put your mind to it you can get back on track and win this battle as well!!!!

Wow!! What a wonderful NSV this morning. I got to a meeting late in one of the conference rooms and all the chairs near the door were taken. It meant going all the way around the table to the front to grab a seat.
Before I lost the weight, it would have meant unbelievable embarrasement to me as all the folks already sitting down would have had to pull their chairs all the way in just so I could squeeze past them. I had to do it once or twice before and it was awful. It got to the point that I always made sure to get to those meetings early so I could grab a seat right by the door so I wouldn't have to squeeze past anyone getting in or out of the room.
So like I said, I was late today and knew I was going to have to get around all the others already seated. Well...hallelujah!! No one had to move in, I didn't have to squeeze my big ass body past anyone...this newly slender gal just walked past all the chairs and sat down at the front of the table.
Whatever I had to go through in order to get to this place in my life was so worth it just to know that I don't have to deal with things like this anymore. What a great feeling it is.

you've already started to make a change and thats what matters! i've only been banded about 4.5 weeks, so i cant help but so much. i just make sure i eat my Protein first, then veggies, and usually dont have room for carbs/starches.
if your craving something sweet, I'm all about the Quest bars. they're high in Protein, low in net carbs, and have very few ingredients compared to other Protein Bars, and they have tons of flavors to chew from.
you've got this.. obviously the band cant do it all!

I had often told myself during my journey that even if I were to ever possibly hit goal I would never post a success story. Maybe I was being modest or perhaps just really hard on myself or…just not able to forgive myself for ever letting my weight get out of control as it had. I guess a lot of it no matter how you sum it up is really just embarrassment.
Well I had a change of heart. That change of heart came because I can remember so vividly the feeling of the hopelessness and despair. At times I felt I was knocking on deaths door and that there was nothing I could do about it. So I am writing this tonight in hopes that if I can help just one person even if only one tiny bit then it is my responsibility to do so. I believe in paying it forward and giving back. If it wasn’t for the people before me that helped me then where would I be? It would be irresponsible for me not to do the same. You are not alone and there are people out there, really good decent people who can help you but YOU have to want it and at some point you need to swallow your pride and ask for the help. Help will not come to you. YOU have to seek it out.
I have told my story several times and you can read it on my profile. I lost 170lbs doing Atkins between 2003 and 2004. I went from 393 to 220 and felt great…and then I got sloppy and let my guard down and weight started packing on. I went from 220 to 488 in 8 years’ time.
At 488lbs doing day to day activities was quite a chore. My knees were taking a beating carrying so much weight on a 5’6 inch frame. I developed arthritis and serious sleep apnea. Walking from the parking lot to my office was a real task and that was even with the use of an elevator. I had to sit out in the car and have my Wife do the grocery shopping because I couldn’t last more than 10 minutes on my feet. I had to sit and fold laundry sitting in a chair. This list could go on and on about the limited mobility. My amazing Wife stood by me and encouraged me to make a change but we both knew until I was ready to commit to change it would not happen. I am not sure how many other women out there would have put up with what she did. My weight affected us both physically and mentally. I did not feel like much of husband at times and I am sure there were plenty of times she felt more like a caregiver than a wife at times although she never said so or complained.
Something had to give and it finally did and in September 2011 with my wife at my side I attended a local seminar for WLS. We listened to the Doctor discuss all the surgical options available at the time and being new and somewhat naïve we decided Lapband was the way to go. It was reversible and probably the least invasive of all procedures. I signed up for a one on one consult with the Surgeon that night. October 2011 I met with the Doctor and told him I ready to make a life change. He told me he wanted to see me lose 24lbs and work on shrinking the liver. Insurance required me to do a 6 month monitored diet so instead of losing 24lbs preop I lost 38lbs. My Surgeon was impressed and after completing all the preop requirements I finally got a surgery date of April 16, 2012. I weighed in on surgery morning at 450lbs on the button.
So there I was April 17th and getting discharged from the hospital and all that went through my mind is why the hell did I do this? There was no way it would work and I will be known as the fat guy who couldn’t lose weight with WLS.
As much as you research and prepare for this new life it seems at some point you say OK well I had the surgery why is the weight not coming off?? This is so frustrating!!! Well apparently I had never heard of bandster hell. Bandster hell is that time from when you have the surgery to the time you actually get the necessary fills to get the need restriction to control your portions. Some very few people are lucky they have the surgery and automatically get that restriction. Not me, it took me 6 months. 6 months of frustration.
Probably one of the most difficult pieces for me to learn was patience. Lack of patience made this road even longer. I stepped on the scale almost daily these last 2.5 years waiting on a large drop in numbers that never happened. How on earth could you possibly see a large drop if you’re stepping on the scale daily? Do yourself a favor and don’t do it. To this day I still step on it daily but now it is about accountability not so much weight loss.
Always look for other measures to success. We call them Non Scale Victories or NSV’s. Losing weight is not just about numbers. For a while I was buying new clothes every other month because I was shrinking so fast. I went from a size 62 waist to a 34. I went from squeezing into theater seats to have padded space on each side.
I could go on and on here rambling about all sorts of stuff weight and band related. If you’ve read this far then thank you and thank you to those who helped me get here. I would like to especially thanks @@Alex Brecher without him I wouldn’t have a home here and I perhaps would’ve remained lost.
If anyone has any questions or comments or just need someone to talk to don't hesitate to message me regardless how personal you think your question may be.
My name is Jim and I am junk food addict. I have lost 300lbs and the lapband saved my life. 2yrs and 8 months 488 to 188.
Peace!!

Yesterday we celebrated my son's bday at a nearby waterpark. As I'm setting there on my chair soaking up some rays, I happen to look over and realize the diving boards staring right at me. I remember thinking to myself yeah right you can't jump off that, everyone will stare at you and laugh. Then I realized, hey I'm NOT 289lbs any more, it was almost as if I had forgotten my size now, so with a happy smile on my face I jumped right out of my chair made my way up the tall ladder and took a splash off the high dive....man was it fun especially when I realized that people weren't looking at me thinking this lady is going to drain the pool .....haha. As silly as this may sound I can't tell you how great this made me feel, especially when I looked over to see my kids, hubby and family all looking at me cheering me on:-) Good times!!!